High School Football: Defense carries Spring-Ford to district championship

PERKASIE — Spring-Ford extended its history-making football season at least one more week Saturday afternoon, and the Rams’ defense had a lot to do with it.

Spring-Ford may have defeated Pennridge, 35-24, in a District 1-Class AAAA semifinal to advance to the district championship game gainst Coatesville, but somewhat camouflaged by that high score was some solid play by the defense. That effort included three turnovers against Pennridge that included a fumble recovery on the hosts’ first play from scrimmage and two big second-half interceptions.

Mason Romano, a 6-foot-0, 210-pound junior defensive tackle, recovered the fumble that helped Spring-Ford take its early lead. Romano also shared a sack with 6-3, 200-pound senior defensive end R.J. Sheldon. Zameer McDowell, a 6-5, 220-pound senior defensive end, also registered a sack.

Kyle Hoffner and Travis Daywalt pilfered passes at critical stages of the game for the visiting Rams.

Spring-Ford head coach Chad Brubaker was happy with those types of plays.

“Our defense is clutch,” said Hoffner, a 6-1, 185-pound senior linebacker. “They (Pennridge) are a big, tough, physical team, so we had to buckle down and stop them.

“We have a bunch of guys coming off past games in the playoffs. Everyone stepped it up.”

The seventh-seeded Spring-Ford squad won its third straight district playoff game after victories over Garnet Valley and Ridley to start the postseason run. Spring-Ford did so against a Pennridge ballclub that just won the Suburban One Continental Conference championship Thursday morning with a victory over Quakertown. Pennridge featured the likes of 6-5 senior quarterback Alex Krivda, junior running back Mike Class, who had run for well over 2,000 yards this season, and some other solid skill players.

Hoffner’s interception came with 2:24 remaining in the third period and Pennridge in Spring-Ford territory. Spring-Ford held a 28-24 lead at the time, and Pennridge was on the move after recovering an onside kick.

Spring-Ford converted the key turnover into a touchdown at the other end of the field when quarterback Hank Coyne found McDowell on a 25-yard strike on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 35-24 lead.

Spring-Ford complemented its offense with the defensive work that also included some plays up front by 6-1, 220-pound junior defensive tackle Robby Varner and senior Ben Schein in the secondary.

“We took on the blocks,” said Romano. “We had to keep fighting and fighting.”

The onside kickoff return gave Pennridge some extra momentum at that point, so Spring-Ford’s players knew they had to dig deeper to remain aggressive.

“They kicked onside in the second half,” added Schein. “It came down to us stepping up and challenging. We knew it would be a defensive battle in that regard. It was about keeping our composure defensively.”

The Spring-Ford coaches and players prepared diligently all week to prepare for another stout opponent in Pennridge.

“It comes down to knowing who is going where and preparing for the game,” said Schein. “So the work we did during the week determines the outcome of the game.”

McDowell was thrilled with the victory after he turned in another productive contest on both sides of the football.

“It is amazing, a good feeling,” said McDowell. “We knew they were a good running team. We knew we had to get pressure against them whether they were running or passing. We couldn’t let them get open.”

Brubaker felt his team forced Pennridge into difficult situations in order to pick up first downs and continue downfield.

“We had them in third-and-long and second-and-long,” said Brubaker. “We made plays on defense. We hung in there.”

Brubaker thought his offense executed better throughout the contest, allowing the defense to get a breather on the sidelines and stay refreshed for each ensuing defensive series.

“We had a ton to prepare for,” said Brubaker. “They have a lot of weapons. Each week we have to play better and better.”

Daywalt made his interception in the end zone with 7:38 left in the fourth quarter and Spring-Ford protecting its 35-24 advantage.

Spring-Ford took over on offense and ran out the clock by moving the chains four times.